Standard footwear often does not provide sufficient traction for various activities. Sporting events typically require the athlete to play in such a manner and in such conditions that more traction is required. Therefore, the prior art has provided various forms of spikes or cleats to furnish this traction. Quite often the spikes or cleats are removable and replaceable within the footwear.
Golf requires a substantial amount of traction for the golfer on fairways, roughs or greens (all surfaces which are generically referred to as xe2x80x9cturf.xe2x80x9d) While prior art cleats have been able to supply the required traction, these cleats often created an unacceptable amount of damage to the turf. Some cleats have in fact been banned from golf courses concerned about the condition of the turf.
For this reason, the prior art has provided a number of xe2x80x9calternativexe2x80x9d-style cleats. These cleats attempted to provide the required traction without damaging the turf A common configuration of such cleats included a plurality of very flexible prongs. Many of these cleats failed to strike an appropriate balance between providing traction and preventing turf damage. Furthermore, many of these cleats were not durable enough when the golfer was forced to walk on hard surfaces, such as cart paths or parking lots.
The prior art alternative-style cleats have taught the use of highly flexible plastics which allow a great deal of bending in the prongs. One example, is the use of polyester estane manufactured by B.F. Goodrich with a measurement between 92 to 93A on the Shore Hardness scale. Such a material allows the prongs of the prior art alternative-style cleat to bend flat when the weight of the golfer is placed upon them.
What has been lacking in the prior art is a cleat which can provide traction, prevent turf damage and be durable against hard surfaces.
The cleat described herein combines the features of durability and traction without damaging turf. The cleat is comprised of a male threaded post for attaching to the sole of a sport shoe through the use of a female receptacle, a base and a plurality of protrusions. The plurality of protrusions may be xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d-shaped and configured about the central base. Such a configuration provides superior traction.
The protrusions may be canted downwardly and outwardly such that the cleat digs into the turf starting near the perimeter of the cleat. The material of the cleat is stiff enough such that the cleat does not flex appreciably when used on turf. The base of the cleat does not project downward as far as the protrusions such that the base does not come into contact with the turf.
The material of the cleat is also flexible enough such that the protrusions flex upward when in use on a hard surface. The protrusions flex upward starting from the circumference of the cleat until the entire protrusion is no longer canted and lies flat against the hard surface. In this manner the protrusions create a large durable wear surface against the hard surface. This feature provides the superior durability of the cleat. The cleat is also larger in diameter to give it more surface contact area.